Hog ringer



O- G. NEIER HOG RINGER May 16, 1967 Filed July 10, 1964 mm E s wN m m c m G L M A A R O M Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,454 HOG RINGER Oral G. Neier, RR. 2, Cloverdale, Ind. 46120 Filed July 10, 1964, Ser. No. 381,724 3 Claims. (Cl. 72-410) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A double-rin g hog ringer provided with retaining ledges adjacent one ring-receiving groove and capable of supporting a ring in that groove while the tool is opened far enough to permit the insertion of a similar ring in the other groove.

The present invention relates to a class of hand tools having pliers-like handles, and more particularly to a hand tool for placing nose-rings in the snout of a hog.

It has long been useful to place a nose-ring on a hog in order to inhibit rooting by the hog. Most hog raisers like to place one ring on either side of the septum of a hogs snout, rather than to drive a single ring transversely through the septum. Conventional ringing tools are constructed and designed to handle a single ring only. Not too surprisingly, when a hog has had one ring driven through his nose, he is inclined to resist the second approach with the ringing tools and therefore, conventional ringing tools are not easily used to place a pair of rings in the snout of a hog. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a tool which will drive both rings simultaneously.

Further, while other ringing tools have been proposed, the open ring is sometimes dropped when the operator is trying to locate the ring in the tool. This difliculty is compounded, of course, when one tries to place two rings successively in the tool, since the tool must be opened somewhat in order to receive a second ring. Therefore, it is further desirable to provide an improved hog ringing tool which not only, will drive both rings simultaneously but which provides a means by which two open rings can be easily placed in the tool in succession and retained therein.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a ringing tool which will drive two nose rings simultaneously into the snout of a hog.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ringing tool which will receive two rings successfully in succesion and retain them there, thereby facilitating the placement of a ring on either side of the septum of a hogs snout as desired.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and

that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the improved hog-ringing tool of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the improved hog ringer of this invention, taken substantially along the line 2 -2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in cross-section, of the ring-clasping portion of the hog ringing tool shown in FIG. 1 taken generally along the section line 33;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the ring-clasping portion of the hog ringing tool shown in FIG. 3 taken along line 44, and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the improved hog-ringing tool of this invention, shown partly in cross-section and having a conventional hog nose-ring received in the ring-clasping portions of the tool.

In the broader aspects of this invention, there is provided a pair of elongated pliers-like handle members, swivelly connected to each other, and having a ring-clasping portion adjacent one end, the ring-clasping portion being adapted to receive two open nose-rings in succession and to retain the rings thereby to aid in the simultaneous driving of the two rings into the snout of a hog.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown the improved hog ringing tool of this invention generally comprising a pair of elongated and allochiral handle members 10, 12 each having opposite ends 14, 16, a gripping portion 18 adjacent end 16, and a ring-clasping portion 20 adjacent end 14. Intermediate ends 14, 16 there is machined in each handle member a fiat surface 22 and a cylindrical cavity 26. A constant diameter passageway 28 is formed in handle members 10, 12 in coaxial position with respect to cavity 26. Handle members 10, 12 are assembled with surfaces 22 contiguous and cavities 26 and passageways 28 respectively, in registry, and are secured to each other in this position by means of a swivel 30 which extends through both passageways 28. Cavities 26 form a coaxial chamber 32 around the swivel 30. A coil spring 34 having opposite ends 36, 38 is positioned in chamber 32 coaxial with swivel 30. Opposite ends 36, 38 engage handle members 10, 12 respectivly urging the ring-clasping portion 20 toward each other.

Intermediate the passageway 28 and the end 16 of handle member 12 is a threaded bore 40 which is generally perpendicular to the passageway 28. A stop screw 44 having opposite ends 42, 43, is threadedly received in passageway 40, so as to position end 42 adjacent handle member 10 on one side of handle member 12 and end 43 on the other side of handle member 12. Threadedly received on screw 44 near end 43 is a conventional wing nut 46 which is retained on screw 44 intermediate end 43 and handle member 12 by means of an enlarged portion 48 adjacent the end 43 of screw 44.

Ring-clasping portions 20 are generally cup-shaped and each has a concave inner surface 50, a pair of generally parallel ring-holding grooves 52, 54, and a ringretaining ledge 56 adjacent groove 52 and substantially parallel to grooves 52, 54. Grooves 52, 54 are shaped to accommodate portions of a hog nose-ring, and ledge 56 is substantially coincident with a portion of the edge 53 of groove 52. When handle members 10, 12 are pivotally connected as above-described, concave surfaces of the two ring-clasping portions 20 face each other in such a manner that ring-holding grooves 52, 54 and ring-retaining ledges 56 of the two portions 20 are in registry, respectively.

In a specific embodiment of this invention, handle members 1Q, 12, swivel 30, spring 34, screw 44 and wing-nut 46 can all be made of metal or any other rigid and selfsupporting material having the requisite strength and other properties required by the function of this invention as abovedescribed.

In operation, the hog-ringer of this invention can be used to drive two rings simultaneously into the snout of a hog on opposite sides of the septum. To load the hog ringer of this invention, gripping portions 18 of handle members 10, 12 are grasped so as to oppose the resilient forces of spring 34 and to urge the ring-clasping portions 20 apart. The first ring 58 is then inserted into the grooves 52 and the operators grip is relaxed to permit the spring 34 to cause the jaws to grip the ring retainingly. Now the operator picks up a second ring and, holding the tool substantially in the horizontal position illustrated in FIG. 4, reopens the jaws 20 sufiiciently to permit him to insert the second ring into registry with the grooves 54. Meantime, the ledges 56 support and retain the first ring 58 so that, when the operator again relaxes his grip on the handle portions 18 and permits the spring 34 to move the jaws 20 while holding the second ring in registry with the grooves 54, the ring 58 will be guided back into the grooves 52; and thus both rings will be retainingly gripped by the tool.

As is suggested in FIG. 5, the separated, sharpened ends of the rings are exposed so that, with the tool turned 90 from the position of FIG. 4, one end of each ring may be inserted in each nostril of a hogs snout while the other end is disposed outside the snout so that, when the handles 18 are forcibly squeezed, the two ends of each ring will be driven through the snout into overlapped, ring-closed relation.

Screw 44 will be preset to stop the jaws before they pinch the snout or collapse the rings too tightly; and of course the wing nut 46, when turned down, will jam the screw against accidental dislodgment from its selected adjustment.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hog ringer comprising a pair of elongated and allochiral handle members, each of said handle members having opposite ends, a gripping portion adjacent one of said ends and a ring-clasping portion adjacent the other of said ends, said ring-clasping portion being generally cup-shaped and having a concave surface, a pair of generally parallel ring-holding grooves communicating with said surface and forming groove edges, and a ring-retaining ledge adjacent one of said grooves and substantially parallel to said grooves, said ledge being coincident with a portion of said edge of said one of said grooves and having an extent suflicient to retain a ring in said one groove while said other ends are separated sufficiently to admit a similar ring to the other of said grooves, said grooves being shaped to accommodate a portion of a hog nose-ring, means swivelly securing said handle members to each other adjacent said ring-clasping portion and intermediate said two portions, said concave surfaces being in facing relation and said grooves and said ledges being in registry, respectively, a coil spring having opposite end portions, said end portions engaging said handle members, respectively, resiliently urging said ring-clasping portions and said gripping portions together, and stop means for selectively limiting the resiliently-urged movement of said handle members.

2. A hog ringer comprising a pair of elongated and allochiral handle members, each of said handle members having opposite ends, a gripping portion adjacent one of said ends and a ring-clasping portion adjacent the other of said ends, a pair of generally parallel ring-holding grooves, and a ring-retaining ledge adjacent one of said grooves and generally parallel to said grooves, said grooves being shaped to accommodate a portion of a hog nosering, means swivelly securing said handle members to each other, said grooves and said ledges being in registry, respectively, spring means for resiliently urging said ringclasping portions into mating relationship, and stop means for selectively limiting the resiliently-urged movement of said handle members, said ledge having an extent sufficient to retain a ring in said one groove when said ring-clasping portions are separated sufliciently to admit a similar ring to the other of said grooves.

3. A hog ringer comprising a pair of elongated handle members, each of said handle members having opposite ends, a gripping portion adjacent one of said ends and a ring-clasping portion adjacent the other of said ends, each of said ring-clasping portions having a pair of ring-holding grooves, and a ring-retaining ledge adjacent one of said grooves and having an extent sufficient to retain a ring in said one groove while said other ends are separated sufficiently to admit a similar ring to the other of said grooves, each of said grooves being shaped to accommodate a portion of a hog nose-ring, and means swivelly securing said handle members to each other, said grooves and said ledges of said respective handle members being arranged in mating registry.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 130,853 8/1872 Hill 72-410 148,656 3/1874 Blair 72410 324,391 8/1885 Lindsley 72-410 908,947 1/1909 Burkhart 72-4l0 2,299,858 10/1942 Sorenson 72-410 3,064,263 11/1862 Powers 72-410 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

R. D. GREFE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HOG RINGER COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED AND ALLOCHIRAL HANDLE MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID HANDLE MEMBERS HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, A GRIPPING PORTION ADJACENT ONE OF SAID ENDS AND A RING-CLASPING PORTION ADJACENT THE OTHER OF SAID ENDS, SAID RING-CLASPING PORTION BEING GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED AND HAVING A CONCAVE SURFACE, A PAIR OF GENERALLY PARALLEL RING-HOLDING GROOVES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SURFACE AND FORMING GROOVE EDGES, AND A RING-RETAINING LEDGE ADJACENT ONE OF SAID GROOVES AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID GROOVES, SAID LEDGE BEING COINCIDENT WITH A PORTION OF SAID EDGE OF SAID ONE OF SAID GROOVES AND HAVING AN EXTENT SUFFICIENT TO RETAIN A RING IN SAID ONE GROOVE WHILE SAID OTHER ENDS ARE SEPARATED SUFFICIENTLY TO ADMIT A SIMILAR RING TO THE OTHER OF SAID GROOVES, SAID GROOVES BEING SHAPED TO ACCOMMODATE A PORTION OF A HOG NOSE-RING, MEANS SWIVELLY SECURING SAID HANDLE MEMBERS TO EACH OTHER ADJACENT SAID RING-CLASPING PORTION AND INTERMEDIATE SAID TWO PORTIONS, SAID CONCAVE SURFACES BEING IN FACING RELATION AND SAID GROOVES AND SAID LEDGES BEING IN REGISTRY, RESPECTIVELY, A COIL SPRING HAVING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS, SAID END PORTIONS ENGAGING SAID HANDLE MEMBERS, RESPECTIVELY, RESILIENTLY URGING SAID RING-CLASPING PORTIONS AND SAID GRIPPING PORTIONS TOGETHER, AND STOP MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY LIMITING THE RESILIENTLY-URGED MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE MEMBERS. 